Ablaze
by Briionyy-Ransommm
Summary: Sequel to 'Burns'. Bella finally has Edward, but not all of him. She still doesn't know why he is the way he is and she feels like she may never know. How will their relationship hold in the face of fire?
1. Prepared for mayhem

**A/N: Please, please, please don't expect me to update again in the next few days. Knowing me I probably will but I have so much uni work to do! But here we go, Chapter 1!**

"No" he said for the umpteenth time in a row but I didn't care, he was going to give in.

"Yes" I said, attempting to stare him down.

"No" he said, becoming less amused. I decided I had to use everything I could to get him to waver.

"Please" I mumbled and stepped closer to him, placing my hands on his chest. I saw his jaw tighten as he began to lose control.

"No" he said tightly and I stood on my tip toes.

"Please" I whispered against his lips and then kissed him deeply. His arms wrapped around me and he deepened the kiss. We had decided to never even peck in public because we both knew that we always made our kisses last for a long time. Once we both needed air though, we broke apart. This time though was different; normally he would let me go so that we could put a small amount of distance between us. This time he kept his arms wrapped around me as we pulled away and placed his forehead against mine. He looked deep into my eyes and I began to blush at the sheer intimacy of his gaze.

"No" he finally spoke and I scowled at him and tried to pull away but his arms grew tighter around me.

"Let me go" I pouted and he chuckled loudly. He had become a lot more open with his smiles and laughter and I enjoyed every part of it.

"No" he spoke his favourite word again and I grimaced further.

"You're mean" I sneered and his kissed my forehead before letting me go. My victory was marred by my longing for his contact again and with a wave of defeat I leant in and hugged him again.

"I thought you wanted me to let go" he chuckled, putting his arms back around me.

"Yeah, but this is better" I mumbled happily.

We were standing in my kitchen and I was trying to convince Edward to come to Arizona with me one day soon. He had kept saying no because he'd said that the last time he went to visit his cousins in Arizona, people stared at him and he didn't like having the heat on his scars. It was a fair all but I was too stubborn to accept his response.

Edward and I have been together for four months and the rollercoaster that is our relationship seems to have more hoops than I'd realized. His mood swings still confused me but were becoming more bearable as he became more and more comfortable with me. We weren't as self-conscious around each other but we still had our moments of feel horrible and worthless, but we seemed to make it by without conflict. We had a relatively peaceful relationship and people had finally stopped with the whispering and gawking as we walked hand in hand. Edward insisted that people were shocked at the fact that 'someone like him' managed to win the heart of 'someone like me' but I was certain it was the other way around. Alice had been over the moon when I told her we were together and she, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had all come for a visit almost immediately. We were all common figures in each other's lives now and never left it more than one month to see each other.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked Edward as he was doing the dishes.

"Go to school?" he said, seeming uncertain.

"Yeah, I meant after" I said and giggled.

"I don't know. What would you like to do?" he said as he dried his hands and turned around to face me.

"We could watch some movies? After homework of course," I amended for the sake of my father.

"Sounds good; here or my house?" he asked and I honestly had to ponder it. I loved his house and his family, but I didn't love how Carlisle always asked me how my scars were doing. I would rather forget them than have them broadcasted. However, we always seemed to be at my house.

"Yours, if that's okay?" I asked but I knew he could hear the unsureness in my voice.

"I'll make sure he doesn't ask today" he promised softly and that seemed to calm me down.

"We should go" I stated once I noticed the clock.

"We should; after you Madame" Edward smiled and I shook my head to clear the daze. I made my way out to his car and leant against it. "Don't look so gloomy Bella; it's just school" he said to me once we were in the car.

"School is stupid," I said and he laughed before nodding. He took my hand as he drove and fumbled with my fingers. As he drove, he played quiet classical music and I began to relax. "I really love you, you know" he said suddenly and my inside became warm. I turned to him and he was glancing at me out of the corned of his eyes and I was blushing. He smiled hugely and then pulled my hand up to his mouth so he could kiss it.

"I love you too, really" I said as a binding promise. He still found it hard to believe that I was in love with him, even though I had been the one to say it first. His insecurities often got the better of him.

"We're a mix and match pair aren't we?" he chuckled and I smiled at the name he'd given us. Mix and match seemed to work for both of us because we both thought the same thing; that we were so lucky to have the other and lucky too to have them go with who we were; no changes.

"Yeah, we are" I laughed and then he pulled into the school parking lot. We both had to mentally prepare ourselves for days at school because although people didn't openly stare or whisper anymore, we knew they did it in secret.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded.

"You?" I responded and he nodded.

We made our way out of the car and intertwined our hands. We walked slowly because we didn't feel the need to rush things in any aspect. Suddenly Edward came to a standstill and when I looked at him, he was staring straight ahead.

"Well, I wasn't ready for _that_" he said and when I followed his gaze, I became as shocked as he was. We squeezed our hands tighter as we stayed where we were, and watched as our school went up in flames.

**A/N: What did you think of Chapter 1?**


	2. Breakdown in the truth

**A/N: Chapter 2!**

We stood there; completely numb to everything that surrounded us. We vaguely recognized the people around us telling us to get out of here, but we couldn't move. It was as if our feet were cemented to the ground we stood on and that we would never move again. I heard sirens going off in the distance but I was too preoccupied with the scene in front of me.

Beautiful yellow flames licked up the side of the school and blanketed the rooftop. The building seemed to not shy away from the comfort of the blaze and the beauty of it all shocked me. I was mesmerized by the gracious dancing of the flickers of yellow and I took an involuntary step forward. This seemed to remove Edward from the stupor he was in and he yanked me away; a look of horror etched so completely on his perfectly disfigured face. I yanked my arm away from his grip and continued to move towards the fire without a care in the world in regards to what Edward was trying to do in prevention of my actions. I was frustrated that he was trying to remove me from the beautiful scenario and so in rebuttal I began to walk faster towards the uncontrollable, all-consuming fire. It was only when I heard my father yelling that my hypnosis was interrupted.

"Bella, what the hell are you doing? Come back here right now" I heard him screaming at me and I turned to see what the problem was and then I gasped.

I was standing almost one hundred metres away from him and I recognized that I was only a mere ten metres from the burning building. The heat radiating from the ashes was intense and I began to feel my skin burning. This occurrence sent me into panic mode and I bolted back to where Charlie was standing with a very horrified and disapproving Edward behind him. When I finally reached them, Charlie began to examine me as though he was a qualified doctor.

"Are you hurt? Are you burnt anywhere else?" he practically yelled over the loud, piercings sound of the now very close fire engines.

"I think, just my arm" I answered in a daze as I stared at Edward who had tears pooled in his eyes.

"Show me kiddo" Charlie said quieter now because the sirens had cut off to signal that the engines had now arrived. I lifted my arm to show him and I heard a quiet gasp. I tore my gaze away from Edward's and looked at my arm myself. My eyes began to water as I glanced at the all too familiar look of melted skin.

"Are you kidding me?" I cried and crumpled to the ground. In that second, Edward's tortured gaze became more prominent and he rushed over to where I sat howling on the floor.

"Bella, sweetheart, what's the matter?" he asked hurriedly and I hiccupped through a sob while trying to explain.

"It happened again. I got more burns and now I'm even uglier" I sobbed loudly and his eyes became so soft and sad that it broke my heart.

"You are not ugly, do you hear me?" Charlie said quickly as my eye contact with Edward continued. He was staring at me with an intensely sad expression while I sobbed my heart out.

"Yes I am" I whimpered once the howling had stopped.

"No, you're not. Not even close" Edward whispered and took my non-burnt hand in both of his. I stared at our hands and realized that I would now have a scarred hand, just like Edward's and suddenly I didn't feel so upset.

"We'll match" I said sadly and he began to stroke his thumb along with good hand. I overheard Charlie talking to one of the firemen beside where we sat.

"How did she get burnt? She didn't even touch the fire" he said to the tall, soot-stained man.

"The heat from the blaze is almost as bad as touching the fire itself. She's actually lucky that she only got that much; I heard she stood really close" the man said in a very deep voice and I shuddered at the thought of the extent of what could have happened. Just at that moment, I heard Carlisle's voice over the crowd.

"Excuse me, let me through" he called and then made his way over to where I was with Edward on the ground.

"Hello Carlisle" Charlie greeted him and they shook hands. The two men had bonded closely since Edward and I announced our union and they were each very thankful to the other for having raised us the way they did.

"Hello Charlie, I hear Bella was the only victim" he said and I heard Charlie confirm that rumour. "Well then, I guess I had better get to it" he said and then busied himself with examining my arm and wrapping it in damp gauze.

"Thank you" I said mutely once he was finished.

"You're welcome, but this is only temporary, I will need you to come with me to the hospital" he said apologetically and I closed my eyes to stop myself for breaking down again. I'd spent too much time in the hospital with my other burns and I didn't want to think about re-starting the process with my newly acquired ones. I nodded silently and began to stand only to have Edward lift me up effortlessly.

"Do you mind if I drive her?" he asked his father and Carlisle smiled warmly.

"Of course, you can follow me back" he nodded and then gestured for us to follow him. As Edward began to walk after his father I glanced back at the building that had been on fire only an hour earlier, and was now nothing but crumbled ashes. I marvelled at how the beauty of a fire could cause such devastation. I also waved at Charlie and said goodbye and he said he would see me at home.

Once we made it to the car, Edward gently placed me on my feet and opened the door for me. I sat in my seat and he leant over and strapped me in and thanked him quietly. When he was in the car and we were finally driving, I noticed that he looked extremely tense.

"Are you okay?" I asked him and he barked a short, insincere laugh.

"No Bella, I am not okay" he said almost angrily and I was taken aback.

"Why not?" I asked, desperately trying to ignore his sudden anger.

"Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was?" He asked and I became small, like a child.

"Yes" I whispered begrudgingly and he clenched the steering wheel tightly.

"So you realize that in an instant you could have been ripped away from me? You could have died Bella, do you understand that? You could have _died_," he enforced his words and I felt a spike of fear at the trueness of them.

"I'm sorry" I whispered and he seemed to calm down a little.

"I very nearly lost you today Bella. I would rather not experience that again so please be more careful with yourself. I am begging you" he said and I turned my body so that I could pat him arm with my good hand and he reached his opposite hand over to hold it there.

"I love you" I whispered and he smiled slightly, still tight around the eyes.

"I love you too, so much" he replied.

When we got to the hospital Edward undid my seat belt and opened my door for me. We walked quietly to Carlisle's office, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist and I held his hand there with my good hand. When we entered the office we sat down in the mahogany chairs.

"Well," Carlisle said as he wheeled in a trolley of utensils, "I am dreadfully sorry but you know what I have to do next" he said sadly and I gulped audibly.

"You don't have to stay for this part" I whispered to Edward, panic clear in my voice. I didn't want him to see this for two reasons. The first is that I knew he hated to see me in pain and I knew I would be almost screaming in this situation. The second is that I was worried that he would recall things from when he had to get this done, but then I wondered if he had gone through this.

"I'm staying" he assured me and held my good hand. Carlisle looked at us with a meaningful, small smile and then wheeled the trolley over to where we sat. He took my arm gently and unwound the blood soaked gauze. I hadn't realized I was bleeding until now.

As Carlisle began to peel the dead and burnt skin away from my arm I had to bite my lip to stop myself from screaming. Eventually I couldn't hold it in anymore and a yelp escaped my mouth when he removed one of the smallest pieces. Edward shushed me gently and started rubbing my back but when I started screaming profusely he pulled my head down to his shoulder and played with my hair while whispering sweet things to me and kissing my forehead every so often. This went on for another fifteen minutes and the Carlisle took the bowl of my skin with him as he left us quietly. I was hyperventilating but trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry" I managed to whispered through my hysteria.

"For what?" Edward asked, seeming genuinely shocked.

"Everything. Walking into the fire, screaming, crying; you name it" I shrugged and winced when it stretched my skin.

"Do not ever apologise to me for showing it when you are in pain" he said sternly and I nodded weakly.

"Why did you stay?" I asked.

"I wanted to remember" he murmured and I pulled my head back to glance at him.

"Meaning?" I whispered.

"I was only seven when this happened to me," he began, gesturing to his face, "So I don't remember the logistics of it well. I figured if I am going to tell you what happened to me, I should at least make myself remember" he shrugged nonchalantly and I gaped at him.

"You're going to tell me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Sometime soon," he said. "I promise".

**A/N: Thoughts on the chapter?**


	3. Ready or not

**I am SO INCREDIBLY SORRY**_._ **Here we go though!**

My mind drifted once again with thoughts and ideas on how to morph our conversation into Edward's promise. He was persistent about me telling him how I felt at every second of the day, whether it be my fresh burns or my self-consciousness about my fresh burns. Through all of this though he has his mouth sealed about telling me what happened to him.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked, kissing each of my knuckles as he placed the final piece of medical tape over the fresh bandages he had just place on my arm. I let out the breath I had been holding in order to hold in the scream that was threatening to break past my lips. I didn't want to do that again because in the last few days it seemed like all I did when Edward helped with my burns was scream and cry and I wanted to be strong… Like he was. As soon as he asked me that I saw my opportunity to pester him about his promise.

"Anything I want?" I asked in a hopeful tone and he smiled, seeming pleased that I wasn't a blubbering, tearful mess.

"Anything you want, sweetheart" he confirmed and my heart spiked happily.

"I want you to tell me" I said and closed my eyes tightly as I waited for his reaction. To my surprise, he chuckled.

"I was wondering when you would bring it up. You have had a pondering look on your face for the last week and you seem too scared to speak to me" he laughed, a hint of sadness in his voice as he said the last part. I suddenly felt bad about my resignation in the last week. I took his hand in mine and weaved my fingers in his and then I leant forward and kissed him softly. When I pulled back he was both happy and confused.

"What was that for love? Not that I'm complaining; just curious" he smiled reassuringly as I displayed my confusion with my face.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled and he shook his head and cupped my face in his hands.

"Don't be; I _did_ promise you that I would explain what happened and I know that I can lose my temper easily so I completely understand why you would be hesitant in asking me to fulfil my promise to you, Bella. I love you and I want you to be able to talk to me and ask me things," he shrugged and then kissed me again. I sighed in relief and look directly at him and bit my lip.

"So, will you" I whispered and his eyes tightened slightly.

"What if I promise to tell you tonight so that when I finish you can kick me out and the night can steal my sorrow?" he asked and I gasped.

"Why would I kick you out?" I asked desperately and he closed his eyes.

"It is a horrendous story" he whispered and my heart raced terribly fast.

"Hey" I said softly and he opened his eyes to look at me, a teary glass-like coating on them. "I love you too much to contemplate kicking you out even if you hurt me so badly that I couldn't breathe" I started and he opened his mouth to defend himself and I shook my head. "I know you won't, I promise I know that" I reassured him and he smiled. "I am just saying that I could never kick you out, especially not about something that happened _to_ you when you were a _child_" I pronounced the words heavily so that I could get it through to his head.

"I am incredibly in love with you" he said sternly and my heart spluttered. He always said he loved me, but this was the first time he has said so strongly that he was _in_ love with me. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world and I couldn't contain what I was feeling. I started crying happily and launched myself at him, both of us crashing to the ground. I kissed him profusely over his face and he did the same to me. This lasted for a few minutes and eventually we drifted into a peaceful atmosphere where we lay beside each other, facing each other, holding hands. He exhaled deeply and then smiled at me.

"What are you smiling at?" I asked, smiling also.

"My amazingly, perfect girlfriend" he shrugged and I blushed a fierce shade of red.

We just lay there in each-others company for an incredible amount of time and eventually we noticed the darkness that poured in from the window. We sat up when my stomach began to grumble loudly and I began to blush. He chuckled lightly and stood up before offering his good hand to me. I took it in mine and hoisted myself up onto my feet and nearly fell over before Edward caught me.

"Careful there, love" he chuckled and then led me out the door and down the stairs into the kitchen. He began to prepare food after he dropped me into one of the dining chairs. He whispered as he made his way around the kitchen and I smiled at him in a daze.

Eventually we began to eat and I noticed him eyeing me carefully.

"Yes?" I smiled.

"Just weighing up things" he winked at me and then continued to eat.

As we finished dinner I began to feel my heart start to race. We cleared the table and then went to sit in the lounge room. As we enjoyed each other company I got very nervous. I was extremely thankful for the fact that Charlie was on an overnight fishing trip so I was able to have a quiet day with Edward and be left uninterrupted. As the time grew later I turned to Edward and noticed that he was already looking at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked him and he exhaled his breath loudly.

"I think so" he said and then turned his entire body to face me. "Okay" he said and then proceeded to tell me a story so terrible that I was in tears after the first two minutes.

**Hope you liked it…**


	4. A heroes heartbeat

**A/N: Please don't hate me! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but I have been quite a social butterfly as of late.**

You know how when you watch a horror movie, you can see every direction in which the victim could have gone to be spared their tragic and violent ending? Or when you are reading a dramatic novel and something so pivotal happens that could have easily been avoided and then the lives of the main characters are forever altered? That was what I felt when I heard Edward's story, only this wasn't a fiction novel or a horror movie; it was real life, and it had happened to him when he was just a young boy.

"Bella please don't cry" he whispered and he wiped away his own tears.

"How can I not?" I whimpered and a lashing of new tears whipped my face.

"Because it's in the past" he whispered so gently that the pain dulled for just a moment.

"I can't believe that happened to you" I spoke firmly, with only the slightest hint of sadness left in my voice. I had to be strong right now; I had to be able to handle what he had told me. If I couldn't, what kind of person would I be?

"I can leave if you like" he offered and then I remembered what he'd said before he told me the story. I looked at the clock and it was very late indeed; the perfect timing for him to leave.

"You're an idiot" I spoke, looking directly into his eyes fiercely with my own.

"Why?" he asked, a flash of hurt crossing his face.

"Why would I want you to leave?" I asked him rhetorically and halted his responding words with a kiss.

After that we spent the rest of the evening just talking and every so often a tear was shed. Edward's story wasn't one for those who desired romance and fairytale; his was a story that even those with a fire in their heart would have trouble hearing.

"How does it feel," I pondered, "to have _that_ as your story?" I continued and I studied his face as he answered. For a moment, he deliberated on the right words to use but then with a side glance to me, he smirked slightly and took a deep breath.

"It feels like a nightmare" he nodded and when he heard my quick intake of breath he turned and smiled at me, "and I am so glad I woke up" he said gently. I blushed fiercely and he chuckled slightly and then the omnipresent silence loomed over us.

As Edward was about to get up and leave and I took his scarred hand and kissed every finger and knuckle. He then maneuvered the situation so that he was cupping my face in his hands and staring into my eyes. He leant forward and kissed my nose and then my forehead and then he stood up, turned and walked out the door. As soon as he was out of my presence, I took the chance to cry. I cried more than I ever had for myself, and more than I had ever cried for anyone else, and possibly the two combined. I struggled to picture what he had told me and my heart lurched painfully as my imagination tried to form images of the words I had been told. A small cry escaped from my lips and then I clicked into overdrive.

How could I be so selfish just sitting here crying desperately for someone who was so strong that even I felt like Superman would feel inferior? He was holding his tears in and it was him that the story happened to, yet I sit here crying who him because I get upset by the details. He lived it and I just heard his account yet my heart tore recklessly at itself.

Once these thoughts ran through my head, I stood up from crumpled state on the floor and got myself a glass of water in the kitchen and as I was there, I noticed I could hear rain outside. I walked to the front door and opened it in the hopes of seeing the rain. At first, I saw the fleeting drops of water that were plummeting from the sky and then I smiled because rain was peaceful if you weren't caught in a storm. Once the peaceful feeling subsided slightly I began to notice other things than the rain. The first thing I noticed was a clump out a small way from my porch steps. The second thing I noticed was the clothing and bronze hair. The third thing I noticed was the intense crying that was erupting from him.

I bounded from the porch and ran as fast as I could to him. He couldn't be here crying, he was strong, he was my rock. As I got closer I realized that even the strongest person has to cry. I knelt down in front of him and he reached out and pulled me in, crushing me to his chest and somehow with the rain I felt safe and warm there. He whimpered and I soothed him and then eventually he calmed down enough to speak.

"I thought I was braver than this" he whispered and I shook my head.

"You are".

"How is this brave?" he scoffed and I placed my hand on his heart.

"Even the hero feels heartbreak, but they call him the hero because his heart keeps beating and he saves the people around him" I spoke gently and he shook his head sadly.

"I haven't saved anyone" he whispered again.

"You've saved me" I responded and then I pulled his face down to me and kissed him again.

This kiss was not normal; it was a kiss so special and comforting that it shocked me to my core. I kissed him for everything he told me; for the boy who cried to his father and was chained to a bed and tortured, for the boy who was now adopted and living safely in my heart.

**A/N: How was that? Reviews please!**


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